I am Legend
by Crowfeather's Dream
Summary: The year is 2315. Humans believe they have annihilated every feral cat in the world. But little do they know, the survivious of the wipe out have found a way to live among people unnoticed. They live, trusting StarClan to light their path to salvation
1. City of Nightmares

I was being bored this morning since we didn't have to go to school for Good Friday, and a random thought hit me out of nowhere. _Wouldn't it be crazy if cats could turn into humans in the future?_ The more I thought about it, the more this story developed in my mind.

* * *

The traffic light turned green.

Hundreds of cars roared down Palm Street, all of different shades of red, blue, green, and purple. A rainbow gone berserk. Lost and forgotten papers and garbage fluttered up from the black tires, hovered in thin air, before drifting back down to another spot of asphalt.

To the human eye, there was not an animal to be seen. Dogs had been extinct for a hundred years, and a cat had not been seen on the streets in over a decade. Or so it would seem.

Blacksoul wandered down the street, his pale orange eyes glaring at everything from behind a pair of sunglasses he had salvaged from a garbage can. He did not like to wear them, but they hid his orange eyes from curious humans, who could easily be pushed into a panic at something out of the ordinary.

He paused at a street corner, towering over some old human woman with steely grey hair. The woman carried a large leather bag, and from an opening in the top poked a bright white head.

The old white cat in the bag snarled at Blacksoul, its dark green eyes burning with a hot fire. Blacksoul smirked at it in response.

_Stupid human toys, _he thought with disdain. _If they had joined their wild brothers before the Hunt began, then they would be living free instead of being held prisoner in the human's clutches._

The Hunt, as it was referred to by older generations of cats, was when humans, for some absurd reason or another, had decided to exterminate every feral cat on the street.

At first, the cats had merely scoffed the human's efforts, considering them futile and foolish. But humans, it seemed, were not the dominant life form on Earth for nothing. They coated their garbage with poison, which attacked the immune system of any cat that ate it. And when a sick cat came back to the Clan, the disease spread.

Rats on ships were injected with a virus that would only affect felines. When a few rats escaped on the shores of distant countries, they were caught and eaten by other ferals. In this manner, the wipe out was spread to every corner of the world.

Why the humans would do this, Blacksoul could only guess. But after reading information in the library, he had concluded that the humans seemed to think wild, rabid cats were responsible for new diseases, like Hopkins Syndrome, which directly attacked the heart. And there were many others.

After the Hunt, it was made a federal offense to rescue stray cats off of the street. According to the human laws, the cat would be shot by the human who saw it, or by a team of workers known as the Animal Population Patrol, or APP.

Humans who owned cats were forced to put up electric fences around their homes. Any cat who tried to escape would be shocked with three hundred volts of electricity. Collars were last century. Collars could slip off, allowing a lucky cat to run away into the street. These days, every pet was fit with a microchip at the base of its neck. The chip could not be reached by the animal it was in, so a cat could never leave the home. Because of this, Blacksoul wondered how the old human had managed to smuggle this mangy fleabag out of her house.

When her cat snarled, the human glanced over with a tiny gasp, and pushed the cat's head down. With a fearful glance at Blacksoul, she fastened a large clasp of the top of the bag. Blacksoul gave her a tiny smile to let her know he would not alert any authorities about her breaking the law.

The old woman nodded at him gratefully, and hobbled slowly across the street as the light turned red. Blacksoul absentmindedly reached up to rub his cheeks. It had been so long since he had smiled at anyone. No cat had any real reason to be happy these days.

A commotion behind from down the road distracted him.

A silver ball of fur was bounding down the street, two humans dressed in white not far behind it. One of the humans carried a small weapon, though Blacksoul knew not to judge danger by size. He had seen many of his friends fall because of that trinket. It was a tranquilizer gun. But instead of being loaded with sedatives, it was loaded with poison that was made for euthanizing cats.

Knowing that if he didn't act soon he would have a dead cat on his hands, Blacksoul ducked swiftly into a small crevice between two buildings. Black fur sprouted out of his human skin. His human nose decreased in size and sank into his face. His ears became pointed and moved to the top of his head as his whole body shrank in the blink of an eye.

* * *

Chrome had been orphaned at birth. He was young and undersized, no bigger than a small watermelon. He had no Clan to shelter him, and he had never learned how to transform into a human. Usually it was a parent's job to teach their kits that necessity of life, but seeing as Chrome had no parents he had tried to keep to the shadows.

But today, some human had been selling delicious-smelling hot dogs right outside of where Chrome usually slept every night. He had not been able to forage anything the previous afternoon, so he had been tempted out into the open, in plain sight. And now, he was running for his life.

A voice from ahead startled him, mainly because he understood what the voice was saying.

"Follow me, kid, if you want to live!"

Chrome nearly stopped dead at what he saw. Crouched behind the wheel of a parked car was a black cat with light orange eyes. Another cat! But how could that be? He had no time for more doubts, because the tom streaked out from under the car. He was running right towards Chrome and his pursuers.

"What are you doing? You're going the wrong way!" Chrome bellowed.

"Trust me, kid. I know what I'm doing!"

The black cat was going so fast, he was like streak of black lightning. Before the humans knew what had hit them, one of them tripped and grabbed the other's shirt, causing them both to land in a jumbled, ungraceful heap of flesh and clothing. The gun bounced away. Chrome sprang forward to nudge it into a nearby sewer drain, but before he could reach it, a pair of teeth fastened around his tail.

"Leave it," came the muffled growl of his rescuer. "If you push it down that sewer, the entire water system can be poisoned!"

Chrome whirled about and found himself nose-to-nose with powerful-looking cat. His lips were curled in an intimidating snarl, revealing broken, stained teeth. His eyes were narrowed coolly as he surveyed the young tom.

"Next time," he hissed, "I won't be here to save your tail. Use your common sense. There's a reason why we were born with brains in our skulls, not hot air."

He spun around and, with a graceful leap over the disoriented humans, raced down the street.

Chrome stood there gaping stupidly at the spot that had just been occupied by the black cat mere heartbeats before. Squaring his shoulders, he let out a yowl.

"Wait for me!"

Instead of pressing his luck by trying to leap over the humans as the other tom had done, he gave them a wide berth, following the scent of the mysterious black cat, wherever it would take him.

* * *

Yes, I know I write very short chapters. I know some names may not seem proper for cats to name themselves (take Chrome, for example. How would a cat know the name of a metal?). But remember, this story takes place in the future. Please R&R!


	2. Those Who Live in Darkness

Yay, another chapter! I love this story, which is a surprise, seeing as how I usually hate everything I write. I won't thank my reviewers individualy until the end of the story (probably between 10 or 20 chapters) because that takes up too much space. But I'll squeeze a thanks in right now. Thanks, reviewers!

Oh, and since I'm too lazy to put a disclaimer up on every single chapter, Everything you saw in the last chapter and will be seeing in this chapter and future chapters that you can recognize is copyright to Erin Hunter. Everything you cannot recognize belongs to me. Touch it and a very bad thing will happen...

* * *

The black cat sprinted farther away from the heart of the city, avoiding human contact. With ease, it sprang over alley walls and garbage cans. The sun was setting, and the human population diminished as the sky grew dark.

Blacksoul reverted back to human form as he slid into a dark alleyway. He removed his sunglasses and blinked his orange eyes several times to adjust them to the dim lighting.

He walked noiselessly down the cracked concrete, ducking under the odd spider-web or forgotten trinkets. A rat scuttled around his feet, and Blacksoul hissed at it. The rat fixed him with a red-eyed stare and whipped it's long, hairless tail. Blacksoul raised his foot and brought it crashing down a whisker-length from the rodent's skull. With a squeak, the rat scurried away. Blacksoul waited for the sound of its claws against the ground to vanish before continuing on.

Blacksoul walked stiffly towards a door at the end of the alley. To a human, it would look as if the door had not been touched for years. But as Blacksoul studied it, he could make out the fingerprints on the handle, and as he opened it, he realized that someone had recently greased the hinges.

The black-haired man stepped into an old factory and shut the door quietly behind him.

The place had been abandoned since before Blacksoul was born, which had been six years ago. The smell of rotting wood hung heavily in the air, and a fine layer of dust had settled on the machines and floor. Though a few signs of life showed. Curtains were hung around the windows to prevent prying eyes from looking in. A pile of food, mainly rats and mice, had been established in a corner. Strewn about the floor of the building were heaps of straw, grass, and blankets scavenged from the garbage cans.

"Blacksoul," a soft, feminine voice sounded from beside him.

He turned his head and met a pair of light green eyes. He fumbled around in his pockets and pulled out a box of matches.

"I've been trying to tell Mirrorstar for ages that it's too damn dark it here," he snarled coldly as he struck a match. He scanned the room for a candle to light and became increasingly frustrated when he saw none.

"Watch your tongue, big brother," the girl teased. The light from the match illuminated her pale white skin and waist-length black hair. Her human clothes were a black jean jacket that stopped at her naval, a white shirt, and a knee-length jean skirt with frayed edges. Her choice of shoes were white flip flops.

"Obscenities don't suit you, Blacksoul," a cheery voice sounded.

"Hullo, Emberpad," Blacksoul muttered, without turning around.

"Perhaps you're looking for this?" Blacksoul turned around. A yellow-haired teenager was holding out a long white candle. Blacksoul snatched it from him and lit it.

The scentless candle flickered and sparked as the three cats, still in human form, sat down on the floor. Emberpad sat with his legs folded and his chin cupped between his hands. The girl sat with her hands on the floor and her legs sticking straight out, tossing her head to get her hair out of her face. Blacksoul leaned against a wall with his arms behind his head and his knees pulled up to his chest.

"So, what brings you home so late, Blacky?" the girl asked, tipping her head to one side.

"The usual. Food gets harder and harder to find these days, what with humans poisoning everything they throw out. It's a risk taking anything from the garbage." Blacksoul ran his long-fingered hands through his shoulder-length, jet-black hair.

Emberpad studied his friend closely. He had shadows under his eyes from lack of rest, and he could pick out a few grey hairs in Blacksoul's scalp.

"Are you finished taking inventory?"

Emberpad met Blacksoul's sunken eyes and frowned.

"You work to hard, friend. No one can expect you to do your job if you get too sick to do it."

"I'm fine, Emberpad," he snapped. "Quit worrying about me and use all the energy you put into questioning my health for looking after Falconmist." He jerked his head towards the girl, who put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips.

"Don't talk about me as if I'm not here," she growled.

Emberpad grinned at her, revealing sharp teeth not even his human form could hide. The firelight was reflected in his golden eyes, making them flash and glitter.

"Perhaps if you left the room, we could talk about you in peace."

Falconmist swatted him on the leg, drawing her sharp fingernails over the skin. Emberpad yelped and scooted backwards.

"Shut up!"

The trio looked around to see a cat silhouette creeping over to them. Blacksoul recognized the red fur, barely visible in the candlelight.

"Good evening, Brickfur," he muttered inclining his head slightly. The other two followed his lead. The cat in question twitched one of his large ears and fixed them all in the yellow glare of his eyes.

"You spend too much time as humans, all three of you. Your friend does, too." He spat coldly. Emberpad rolled his eyes over to Falconmist, who was glaring at Brickfur with irritation flaming in her eyes.

"You mean Lilypad?" Blacksoul muttered quietly. His eyes were narrowed. Emberpad watched him clench and unclench his formidable hands and recognized a danger sign. Lilypad was Blacksoul's closest friend, and often accompanied him around the city. They had saved each other's lives more than once.

"Yes, whatever her name is. And don't look at me like that," he shot at Falconmist. "I can make your life hell."

_Your mere presence makes life hell for every cat unfortunate enough to cross your path _Blacksoul sneered to himself.

"Did come here just to tell us that," Falconmist snarled, "or do you have something important to say?"

Brickfur switched his tail across her human face. "Manners," he meowed coolly. "Don't belittle your superiors."

_Superior my foot, _Falconmist wanted to roar, but Blacksoul caught her gaze and gave a little jerk of his head. _Keep your mouth closed._

"The real reason for my visit was to sound an alarm. Someone," his eyes wandered to Blacksoul, "was stupid enough to let an outsider follow him here."

Blacksoul clenched his jaw and met Brickfur's eyes with his own hard stare. He knew of whom the red tom was speaking. "An outsider? I should think not. Are we not all cats who are faced with the same problem?"

Brickfur curled his lips up, revealing his long fangs. "Mirrorstar does not recognize him, so he is an outsider. God knows we already have too many strays and ferals in this Clan to begin with!"

Blacksoul sprang up and became a cat again. Falconmist, now a black cat with a white face, leapt up beside him. Emberpad, a yellow cat with long fur, bared his teeth and hissed.

"What Clan?" Falconmist sneered. "The older generations took so many street cats as mates, we don't even know who has a pure Clan bloodline, if any of us do at all! All we are is a ragtag bunch of scared flea-bags trying to scrape a living in the shadows of human skyscrapers and factories. There is no such thing as a Clan anymore."

Emberpad gasped and Brickfur lashed his tail. Blacksoul, forcing his fur to lie flat, stepped between them.

"Enough," he whisper softly, his eyes meeting Falconmist's. The flames of fury danced in their depths, but she could see pride and maybe an ounce of respect in them as well.

Brickfur straightened up and glared at them all once again. "Follow me," he commanded. "Let us go deal with this outsider."

* * *

Before anyone jumps to conclusions, Brickfur is not evil or a bad guy. That would be way too predictable. I mean, a good guy can be a sadistic, fun-hating bastard, can't he? Brickfur just hates the world, just like I hate flamers :) R&R

P.S. The Hopkin's Disease, mentioned in the last chapter, is completely fiction, unless by mere coincidence.


	3. Chrome, Who Does Not Cry

Gasp-eth! I have-eth updated my story-eth. Ha ha, please forgive me, but I just finished reading The Prince & the Pauper, and have those stupid eth's and est's stuck in my head. But, wow, I updated!

I was considering quitting FanFiction dot Net, because I had seriously lost my muse, but my euphoria at the long-anticipated SUMMER VACATION sparked my mind again, and I wrote this last night and this morning. I also have an outline (Crappily Written) up to chapter 10!

**EDIT, PLEASE READ! AHHH! I made a mistake. Blackheart, mentioned about halfway down the page, is supposed to be Blacksoul!!!** I am going to change it right now to avoid confusion. Wow, I posted this about ten minutes ago, and already got three reviews! -hugs Hawkfrost, Freeheart, and Flamespirt- But I know the REAL Blackheart, who is a member of Warriors Wish. I was probably PMing him or something while I was writing this.

People who have reviewed my chapters (this means imaginary cookies, peeps!) -

Firehawk101  
NickyFox13  
Hawkfrost Ravenpaw's Loyalty (3)  
Catland Creator  
Freeheart (3)  
Rainfire  
Cinderfoot  
Flamespirit (2)

* * *

A middle-aged man sat quietly on a garbage can. It was one of the old-fashioned metal ones, the kind with lids that twoleg children would crash together to annoy their parents in old comedy movies. Absurd. 

Though he only looked to be in his mid-thirties, the man has shoulder-length platinum hair that looked black in the shadows of the dark alleyway. His bright blue eyes penetrated through the darkness, the pupils dilated as they strained to see anything out of the ordinary.

Aha! He had thought so! A small white cat was creeping timidly down the narrow path, his ears laid flat against his head, his tail low – almost between his hind legs. The man hid a disgusted snort at such a display of cowardice and leapt off of the garbage can.

His pants and polo shirt rustled against his skin, and his brown shoes thumped quietly on the ground when he jumped, but other than that, he made no noise. The white tom, however, swirled around in panic, green eyes wide, staring at him. The man, however, was not worried. He knew it was too dark in the alley for him to be seen.

* * *

Chrome's fur was standing on end as he glared into the unwelcoming shadows of the alley. The black tom's scent was faint on the stones, but it was there nonetheless. The white cat took a tentative step in the alley, and let out his breath in a _whoosh_ – louder than he had expected to. 

There was a white flash, and Chrome found himself being dragged facedown forcefully by his hind legs down the alley, his nose scraping painfully against the hard, unmerciful concrete. He struggled angrily, twisting forward and lashing wildly with his front paws, but his captor merely tightened his grip. Pain shot up Chrome's legs as teeth as sharp as knives drove down into the bone, but thankfully not breaking anything.

He was dropped on the ground in front of an old door, which was promptly pushed open by the captor. Chrome caught a glimpse of black and white fur before the cat disappeared through the door. The white tom struggled to his paws, but before he could make a mad dash for his life, a new cat came. This one was blood-red with cold yellow eyes.

This new cat wasted no time with Chrome. Instead, he jerked his head out and sank his teeth into Chrome's shoulder, pulling him roughly through the door and then throwing him away effortlessly. The tom landed in a pile of matted fur a couple feet away. This time, he did not try to get up.

"Easy, Brickfur, before you end up killing the little rat."

Chrome froze, and lifted his head ever so slightly. He recognized that voice. Sure enough, the black cat that had saved him from the humans was looming over him. With him were two others, a black she-cat with a white face, and bright yellow tom with amber eyes that flickered playfully.

"So, kid, you finally made it. What took you so long?" Blacksoul meowed coolly, as if Chrome was a long lost friend who had turned up late for a hunting mission.

"Maybe the fact that you were running so fast?" Chrome spat, sitting up, feeling slightly more confident now that he spotted a familiar, though unfriendly, face.

"You call that fast?" Blacksoul meowed, tossing his head. "I know of newborn kits that can walk faster than I ran."

Chrome glared but said nothing, instead taking the time to absorb his surroundings. Quite a few other cats were gathered around him, though they put a considerable amount of distance between them, as if he were infected with a deadly disease. He noticed that half of them were already sick, or at least they looked it. Their eyes were quiet and lifeless, and their dull fur hung off of bones that jutted out from the skin. Many of them, if not all, had scars from past encounters with other cats or humans.

Then, the sea of bodies parted, and a massive black and white tom walked stiffly towards him. Chrome felt the fur on his shoulders rise instinctively. This was the cat that had attacked him in the alleyway. He unsheathed his claws and tried to look calm, but really bracing himself for a fight.

The black and white tom stared at him, his eyes glimmering with amusement. "Don't bother going through the trouble of preparing for a scuffle, outsider," he meowed shrewdly. "I'm too busy taking care of my Clan to keep beating you down." His words were threatening, but his voice was friendly enough. Chrome forced himself to relax.

"Who are you?" he asked, narrowing his green eyes curiously.

"My name is Mirrorstar. I am the leader of my Clan. My deputy is Brickfur." He inclined his head to the red tom who had thrown Chrome to the ground. Chrome swallowed and nodded his head respectfully. Brickfur glared at him for a few heartbeats before flicking his ear and looking away.

"You obviously seem to know Blacksoul-" the black tom flicked his tail- "and this is his sister, Falconmist-" the black she-cat with the white face extended a paw- "and a close friend, Emberpad." The yellow tom twitched his whiskers.

"Care to tell us who you are?" The one named Emberpad inquired, leaning forward with his head cocked to one side.

"My name is Chrome," Chrome said quietly. "I have no family, nor do I have any Clan. I…I didn't know there were other cats in the city. I've never seen one."

"That's because most cats prefer to stay in human form when they're around real humans," Falconmist explained.

"What do you mean, 'human form'?"

Dead silence met his question. One could have heard a pin drop in the large room. Chrome shifted nervously and shrank underneath the disbelieving stares of those around him.

"What sort of stupid question is that?" Brickfur scoffed from his shadowed corner, glaring coldly at Chrome.

"He says he has no family," a quiet voice chirped. Chrome watched Blacksoul's eyelids droop in wonder as a ginger she-cat with green eyes slipped quietly to the front of the crowd. "Parents teach their kits how to shift forms. If Chrome has no family, then how can he know?"

Murmurs swept through the watching cats, though Blacksoul and his friends remained quiet. Chrome took a deep breath and relaxed.

"Thank you, Lilypad," Mirrorstar purred. "That was an excellent, yet short, explanation."

"Wait a minute," Chrome blurted out. "Why am I here? Why did you drag me here?" He could not help the resentment that crept into his voice at his last question, and he glanced at Mirrorstar, who dipped his head in apology.

"I was unsure whether or not you would be dangerous to our Clan, young one."

"How do you know I'm not?" Chrome muttered, stung.

"Ha! It doesn't take a genius to know that," Brickfur growled softly, though loud enough for Chrome to hear. Chrome spun about, ruffled. He heard Blacksoul snarl obscenities at the deputy, to which the red tom responded with a rude gesture. Mirrorstar stepped forward, flattening his ears with a menacing hiss.

"Enough! Stop this foolishness!"

The toms sat down, glaring at each other with fire in their eyes.

_If looks could kill, _Chrome thought nervously.

"Brickfur, your comments are unnecessary, and Blacksoul, your words are direct disrespect to your deputy, who ranks higher above you and deserves your respect," Mirrorstar was saying. The leader turned to him.

"It is too dangerous to have cats wandering around by themselves in such an unkind city," he meowed loudly. All eyes in the room turned to Mirrorstar. "I, Mirrorstar, leader of the Clan, do accept this tom into this family." Murmuring greeted his statement, but no cat voiced objections directly to anyone except in quiet whispers to his or her neighbor.

Brickfur opened his mouth to say something, but Mirrorstar silenced him with a look that could freeze fire.

"Will he have a traditional Clan name?" A cat called from out in the crowd.

Mirrorstar considered the question for a few minutes before lifting his head.

"No." He gave no further explanation, instead sweeping on to other matters. "Blacksoul, as punishment for verbally attacking your deputy, you will keep close watch on Chrome at all times, and teach him how to shapeshift." Chrome watched Emberpad and Falconmist open their mouths at the same time. "You may receive help from any that you wish," Mirrorstar continued, casting them amused glances. He turned to his deputy.

"Brickfur, as punishment for purposely attempting to aggravate another cat, you will supervise Chrome's training. However, be aware. Do not try to provoke Blacksoul into a fight, or you will answer to me, understand?"

Brickfur narrowed his eyes, but bowed his head in acceptance. "Very well," he spat.

Mirrorstar stared around at his Clan, who were either watching him, Brickfur, or Chrome. "This meeting is at an end. Dismissed." He turned swiftly about and promptly vanished into the shadows, followed quickly by Brickfur and two other cats, one with white fur, and the other with brown fur.

When Chrome had torn his eyes away from where the leader- his leader now –had disappeared to, he noticed that the other cats had deserted him. The only ones left were Blacksoul and his companions. The former padded up to where he stood, alone and confused.

"Well, welcome to the Clan," he meowed quietly.

"What if I don't want to be in this Clan?" Chrome growled, though only half-heartedly.

Blacksoul snorted, his eyes shadowed. "Do you really think you have a say? The Leader's word is Law."

"Besides," Lilypad spoke up quietly, "there is strength in numbers."

"Yeah," Falconmist spat. "A rogue cat is a dead cat. Remember that, and you'll be fine."

* * *

Ahhhh, I -heart- Brickfur.  
Please Read and Review-eth, please. Flamers shall be flamed by me in my next chapter, so, flamers, think before you flame. Eth. 

-Reddeh


	4. Revalation

Read and Review, darnit, I stayed up until 12:35 in the morning to give you guys this. Alright, I'm breaking what I said earlier about not thanking reviewers individualy. I'll do it at the bottom of the page.  
I really, really, REALLY wanted to finish this tomorrow, but concentrated every fiber of my being into getting it done tonight. Just for my readers.

* * *

Blacksoul sat cross-legged in a hole near the ceiling, watching Chrome try to balance on one of the rafters that crisscrossed high above the floor. The white tom wasn't incurable ungraceful, just awkward in his new human form. Perfection at walking even the narrowest of ledges as a human would come with time. 

Emberpad was hanging by his feet from the rafters above them, swinging recklessly back and forth. Falconmist and Lilypad were sitting on the ground on a blanket, chatting about something Blacksoul couldn't, and had no desire to, hear. Brickfur, unfortunately, was lying on a pile of boxes in his cat form, watching them all through half-closed eyes.

Blacksoul's eyes narrowed as he watched the white-haired boy, who looked about fifteen, walk back and forth carefully on the wooden beams, gaining more confidence the longer he did it. His human form wasn't yet perfect, he could see. Chrome's ears were too pointed, and, instead of walking flat on his feet like humans did, he walked constantly on his toes. And, yet, they had all been surprised at how quickly the young cat had progressed.

Chrome had been with them for two weeks. A fortnight. Fourteen sunrises and sunsets. However, he was still ill at ease with Brickfur, who had taken it upon himself to torment the newcomer more than he tormented Blacksoul.

It had become a sort of game for the deputy, a way to get around Mirrorstar's order. It was simple and cruel, and completely legal. Brickfur would not purposely torment Chrome, but trick the young tom into fighting with him. He disguised his snide comments as rough criticism. Chrome wasn't stupid, but was easily goaded into verbal battles, which were usually lost to Brickfur.

And, sometimes, Brickfur didn't even have to start the fight. A few days before, when Chrome had been caught halfway between a human and a cat, the tom had furiously whirled upon the cat nearest to him, which, of course, was Brickfur. The insults were traded for only a few heated moments before Chrome stalked off to Lilypad, who, being the smartest and calmest, was in charge of dealing with any mishaps in Chrome's training. Brickfur had watched him go, smirking in triumph and mentally marking down yet another victory in his favor.

Brickfur, however, worked alone when it came to making Chrome's life miserable. Ever other cat in the Clan was perfectly fine with his existence amongst them. Blacksoul was relieved for this – he'd rather spend time thinking of all the terrible things he could do to Brickfur in his sleep instead of following Chrome everywhere like a guard-dog, making sure no obscene comments came his way.

Chrome sprang down to stand in front of Blacksoul, startling the latter out of his thoughts. Chrome was grinning, looking extremely pleased with himself. Blacksoul glared at him.

"Learn some humility, kid," he snapped before jumping down from his perch onto the floor next to the girls. They turned their heads to blink at him before going back to their mindless chatter. Blacksoul rolled his eyes in irritation.

Emberpad landed gracefully behind him, glancing up at where Chrome was nervously lowering himself down, his eyes wide as he started at the ground some fifty feet below his shoes.

Emberpad grinned. "Should we help him down?"

Blacksoul smirked. "No, I don't think so. Let him learn on his own that pride won't let him do everything." The former laughed and tilted his head up to watch Chrome dangle from the lowest rafter on the ceiling. Blacksoul, however, was watching Brickfur out of the corner of his eye. The red tom was watching the scene with seemingly limited interest. But Blacksoul knew that even the smallest amount of attention where Brickfur was concerned could spell disaster.

Lilypad and Falconmist had stopped talking, and they were watching Chrome fearfully as he hung from the beam. Falconmist glared at her older brother.

"Help him down, Blacksoul."

"No."

"Why not?"

Blacksoul frowned at her. "I'm not going to be there for him every second of his life. He needs to learn how to solve his own problems."

"But he's not as old as you are," Lilypad spoke up quietly. "If he just jumped down like you and Emberpad did, he might end up killing himself."

"Hey!" Emberpad barked. "Don't drag my name into this argument. Besides," he tossed his hair slightly to one side," I made that jump when I was just a year older than he was."

"Yeah," Falconmist spat, "after about three years of training. Chrome has no training, you idiot." Emberpad stuck his tongue out at her childishly.

Brickfur was sitting in an upright position, watching Chrome intently now as the young cat's arms began to quiver from hanging so long. His face was covered with sweat, and his face glistened in the morning sunlight that shone through holes in the roof.

"Just let go!" the red tom called out, his voice echoing through the room.

Blacksoul stiffened.

Brickfur was on his paws now, watching coldly as Chrome struggled. The white-haired boy was staring at him with poorly concealed astonishment. His whole body was shaking now, his legs tucked up so his knees where against his chest.

"Let go? Are you mad?" he cried out.

"Just listen to him, Chrome," Blacksoul responded, blinking. "It's the only way down." Brickfur sent Blacksoul a sneer, but also seemed surprised that he had agreed with him.

Fear made Chrome's voice high-pitched. "It's too far! I'll die!"

"What's the matter?" Brickfur snarled. "Scared, kittypet?"

Rage and hurt flashed across Chrome's face at the deputy's harsh question. Blacksoul felt a grudging admiration for Brickfur's skills of manipulation. He knew very well that Chrome did not like to be taunted. _Kittypet_ was one of Brickfur's favourite jibes to shoot at Chrome when he knew no one was looking. The red tom was very clever in his ways. His respectable knowledge of Chrome's rebellious, yet predictable, attitude gave him the upper hand.

Glaring at Brickfur through the whole process, Chrome slowly unfurled himself from his tight ball until he hung limply from the beam, his lean body strait. He took a deep breath. Lilypad pressed into Blacksoul, who, upon the contact, felt blood rush up to his face. Falconmist crouched slightly behind Emberpad. Brickfur did nothing but narrow his amber eyes. Chrome let go of the wooden rafter.

They always said time seemed to slow down when something terrible was happening. Almost as if one could see the scene blow-by-blow.

_They_ were wrong.

To Blacksoul, right after Chrome had let himself fall, a half-second later, he had landed into a pile of boxes. There was a crash that made Falconmist jump and Lilypad push closer to Blacksoul. Chrome's impact on the ground caused a cloud of dust to fly up into the air. Sharp pieces of wood clattered about a few feet away, before lying still. After a few heartbeats, the dust settled, and everything was quiet.

Brickfur, to everyone's astonishment, was the first to move. His pace was quick as he sprang quickly over the scattered rubbish and onto the heap of crushed wood. He looked back, caught Blacksoul's eye, and flicked his tail.

Blacksoul started forward slowly, careful to avoid splinters or dangerously jagged pieces of wood. The other three followed quietly behind him.

Chrome was kneeling in the center of the debris, unharmed save a few scratches and maybe one or two minor cuts. He looked shaken, but also happy. Brickfur was sitting a few paces away, glare fixed firmly in place, though it seemed softer than usual.

Blacksoul extended a hand and helped Chrome to his feet. Lilypad and Falconmist cheered, and Emberpad merely grinned at him. Blacksoul did not smile, but merely inclined his head. Chrome glanced uncertainly over to Brickfur. The red tom held his gaze for a moment before shrugging and walking away. Chrome looked ready to burst out of his skin. He glanced to Blacksoul.

"Do you think I impressed him?"

Blacksoul gave a short, humorless laugh. "Not even the smartest, strongest cat in the world could impress Brickfur. But I suppose his indifference is better than his persecution, right?" Chrome nodded.

Suddenly, the door flew open, and Mirrorstar stalked in, in his human form. He was followed by two others. Blacksoul squinted. They appeared to be carrying something between them. Something dark brown and soft-looking.

_A cat._

"What happened?" Blacksoul asked Mirrorstar as he walked by. His leader changed down into cat form, and Blacksoul followed suit. The black and white tom sighed.

"She was chasing a rat. It went out into the street, and she forgot her place." His voice was quiet. "Some human shot her in the neck."

Blacksoul heard the murmurs of sorrow from behind him. He bowed his head.

Others, returning from morning duties, filed silently in behind their leader, knowing something was wrong. Mirrorstar gave them all a swift glance before walking away, his head hanging slightly.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.**

The respects for the young she-cat, Maplerose, were held as the sun began to sink behind the horizon.

Blacksoul watched as a few elders and her apprentice, Falconpaw, carried her out behind the warehouse to bury her. A burial that would not be witnessed by human eyes. Blacksoul felt his claws sink into the ground. Humans! He wanted to kill every last one of them. For so long, he had felt the desire to rip them to pieces, to make them pay for their crimes. It seemed as if he would have to wait longer.

The sun had completely set when there came a loud yowling from outside. A lone she-cat sprinted in, her eyes wide with terror. The commotion woke all cats from their slumbers. Blacksoul stood at the back of the crowd that was beginning to gather around her, feigning disinterest. However, he strained his ears to hear her words. Mirrorstar had arrived, and was speaking to her quietly. The she-cat told him what was wrong in hushed tones, to Blacksoul's frustration. His irritation was short-lived.

Mirrorstar spun about and leapt up to a tall pile of boxes. He stared down at them with hate in his eyes.

"A cat has been captured!"

Mutters swept through the Clan.

"What does that have to do with us?" a cat cried out.

"We must rescue him," Mirrorstar commanded, his voice strong. "He told Stormcloud he knew a way to a place untouched by humans. A sort of….sanctuary."

Silence fell.

* * *

I know the ending is a bit rushed, but I needed a place to stop. This was basically Chrome's learning to shapeshift, Chrome's acceptance by Brickfur. The dead cat was basically a reminder, that the cats are living in a dangerous world, and risk death every time they step outside. The captured cat will play a KEY role in the remainder of the story. 

You see, Brickfur's not a comeplete bad guy...just very...cold. He's my favourite.

Read and _**review**_, even if you think it's the worst story in the entire universe.

* * *

**Hawkfrost** -- Glad that you like it! -eth  
**Freeheart** -- No problem. No, Blackheart and Blacksoul are the same cats, I just made a typo.  
**Flamespirt** -- Typo. I meant to say Blacksoul. Even though I love Blackheart, I don't think I'll be using his name in this story. :)  
**Sapphirepaw** -- Yeah, Brickfur totally pwns all!!! No, Emberpad and Falconmist are kind of hinted at, and Blacksoul belongs to Lilypad. I'm happy you enjoyed my story!  
**Firehawk** -- Mmmm, I'll try to get typing. Cross Country practice begins on Monday, however. Poo. Ha ha, you enjoyed my eth humor. ETH!  
**HayashiOkami** -- Wolf's Rain forms the very bottom plot base (animals searching for a place untouched by humans), but everything else is completely different.  
**Pinefur** -- I totally agree, dude. We humans are stupid.  
**Secrets** -- Why, thank you! It's the first story in which I actually sat down and thought of a plot line, so maybe that's why it's so easy to write.  
**Catland** -- Yeah, I had trouble remembering names when I first started writing it, too. I wrote down character descriptions in _The White Binder_. I would start writing and then have to look back to see who I was writing about. O.o And I'M supposed to be the author. 

_The White Binder_ is Shadowsong's reference guide to all stories she has ever written. It contains the plot summary, character descriptions, key elements, and brainstorms for plot bunnies. Also, but rarely, features poorly organized family trees.

You reviewers are my muse! I love you all!!! -hands out free iPods- But now, I am tired and wish to go to bed. It's almost one in the morning. Good night! Or should I say good morning?


	5. Despero, The Caged Dog

_**Wow, I feel so terrible doing this to you guys. It's been, like, forever since I updated this story. Well, hope you can forgive me! **_

* * *

Blacksoul crept silently through the rows of cages, with Brickfur right behind him. 

Getting into the lab where all captured animals were held was surprisingly easy; they had dispatched of two lab workers and stolen their I.D.s and uniforms, and had gotten through the minimal security with no trouble at all.

Mirrorstar's announcement to the Clan about this paradise had been quite astonishing. This new discovery swung the sympathy of the majority of the cats over to this unfortunate loner. He must be freed, or else they would never escape the city, and would most likely die tragic, premature deaths.

There had been a decision to send two of the best, able-bodied scouts they had to see exactly where the cat was held. If it were possible, they were to get him out and bring him back to the warehouse. If freeing him was not an option, they were to return with his precise whereabouts and then take reinforcements back to the lab. To Blacksoul's surprise, they had chosen him to go on this mission. To his dismay, however, Brickfur was going to be his partner-in-crime, so to speak.

Now, Blacksoul and Brickfur were in their true cat forms, and the black tom felt disgust rise up in his throat like the bitterest of biles.

In every cage, there were animals. Some were cats, like them, yet there were other domestic pets as well, such as dogs, birds, and ferrets. Frequently, they would pass an animal that had wires hanging out of it. Sometimes, there would be clear tubes that ran from the beast's mouth up to a bag of transparent liquid that had no recognizable scent.

"Labs," hissed Brickfur. "This place reeks with the stench of those filthy humans." Blacksoul muttered a reluctant agreement. It also smelled of death, though very faintly. Stronger than the death-smell was the unnaturally sweet scent of chemicals and clensers.

They carried on swiftly.

"Freeze!" Brickfur snarled. Blacksoul tilted his head slightly so he could follow the deputy's gaze.

A few pawsteps away, an old collie dog sat watching them. His black, watery eyes met Blacksoul's for a moment, and then he looked away. He was, so far, in the worst condition they had seen. His once-handsome coat was now matted from neglect. There was no fur on his stomach at all, and Blacksoul could have counted the ribs if he wanted to. Wires and tubes were connected to him in such vast amounts, it was hard to tell what was dog and what was machine. For a moment, he felt pity for the old beast.

The collie raised a paw slightly, beckoning them closer. Blacksoul glance at Brickfur, who shrugged. Though it was just a simple movement of the shoulders, Blacksoul could interpret its meaning: "Do what you want. If you die, that's fine."

Cautiously, he stepped forward. The dog whined encouragement and gave it's tail a feeble twitch, perhaps attempting to wag it. Blacksoul crept forward slowly until he stood directly in front of the cage. The dog looked down on him with haunted eyes.

"Your friend is there," he whispered in a cracked voice. Blacksoul felt his eyes widen as the dog pointed with his nose to the opposite wall. If he squinted, he could make out a pair of yellow eyes watching him carefully. He turned his attention back to the dog.

"How did you know we were looking for him?"

The dog laughed. "My body is old, but my mind stays sharp. They bring him in today, and then two felines, who are obviously searching for something, come in on the same night. I am no fool."

Blacksoul nodded. "How do we get him out?"

The collie eyed him shrewdly. "If I knew the answer to your question, I would not be in this cage on this night, would I now?" He looked as though he was about to say more, but then broke down into a coughing fit.

Blacksoul turned to Brickfur. "The cat is over there-" he flicked his tail "-by the door." Brickfur narrowed his eyes, but bounded away.

"Hurry," the dog wheezed. "When I die, they will come. They will catch you, too. Terrible things."

Blacksoul immediately understood. "Thank you," he meowed quietly. "I wish I could help you in some way."

The collie sank to the floor, his breath coming in quick, ragged gasps. "Go now! I can hear their voices! I am blind, stop shining the light in my eyes! The table is cold, it hurts my back! Go, cat, save yourself! What are these wires, where do they go, why am I here? What are you doing to me? Please stop, just let me die! GO!"

Feeling as though he were about to throw up, Blacksoul sprinted away, putting as much distance between himself and the dying dog as possible. He found Brickfur, in human form now, picking at the lock expertly with his pocketknife. Blacksoul knelt on the other side of the cage and swept the wires away with his hand. The cat winced as they were yanked out of his skin, but otherwise did not react. The collie's cries were still echoing around the room.

"Hurry, Brickfur," Blacksoul hissed. Brickfur said nothing, and gave the knife a sharp jerk up. The lock fell to the ground with a clatter. The door opened automatically and the cat sprang out.

"Thank you," he growled. Blacksoul twitched his ears and Brickfur hissed. Suddenly, the dog's moans were cut off, and the room fell silent again. Dread began to swim in Blacksoul's heart.

"They are coming!" he yowled, and no sooner were the words out of his mouth than a loud, continuous beep filled the air. It was not unlike the noise a monitor made when the patient it was hooked up to lost it's heartbeat. All of the lights were flicked on, and all three cats cowered in the open. Blacksoul could make out the unmoving shape of the collie dog. Blood seeped through the bars of it's cage and onto the floor, and he did not want to where it came from. All thoughts of blood, however, were driven from his head when the door was thrown open, and a human ran in, it's long white coat billowing behind him.

"It's over," Brickfur muttered. "StarClan waits for us."

* * *

**_Ohh, cliffhanger! It's not that great of a chapter really, but I forced myself to write it for you guys, and I don't think it's too horrible. Sorry for the huge delay, hope people are still reading that! -sweatdrop-_**

**_-C.D._**


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